Dialogical interactions mediated by technology in mathematics education

This paper discusses the results of a research[1] that integrates Digital Interactive Storytelling (DIST), competence-oriented mathematical activities, and argumentation called DIST-M. The general aim is to support a reflective knowledge of mathematical concepts by implementing a digital educational device based on collaborative and dialogical activities proposed by researchers. Within a dialogical dimension of interactions (Bakhtin, 1981), argumentative practice is considered a social activity, where the acquisition and elaboration of new knowledge take place within a social space with multiple interlocutors in a dynamic process. The participants are engaged in constructing and negotiating mathematical meanings within a specific context. This dialogical approach to argumentation tends to create an authentic argumentative culture that is a system of implicit and explicit rules where the exchanges and interactions among participants require a joint elaboration of new meanings, within a given mathematical context, through a dialogical exchange. Learning and development result from a dialogical negotiation process during which new knowledge is developed and those already possessed are re-organized and systematized (Bakhtin, 1981; Vygotskij, 1978). In the current pandemic circumstances, technologies are the main tools to uphold the educational processes. Despite the fact that the DIST-M was implemented and tested before the Covid-19 era, its epistemic bases of dialogism mediated by technology could significantly keep alive the dialogic interaction in educational settings that have been heavily affected by the social distancing and promote mathematical thinking. The articles focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal n. 4,” Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”   [1] The research is funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research under the National Project “Digital Interactive Storytelling in Mathematics: a competence-based social approach”, PRIN 2015, Prot. 20155NPRA5

STUDY ON THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM, COPING AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS IN A GROUP OF YOUNG ADULTS: A BRIEF REPORT

The aim of this research is to analyze how the experiences and representations of self-esteem correlate with clinical symptoms, as well as specific non-functional coping strategies in order to overcome difficulties in the development of autonomy and decision-making.Data show that the coping resources of individuals are directed more towards the Self than towards the social, sometimes even in terms of preoccupation with the Self and social isolation. Low self-esteem has correlations with somatization. It is especially in the female gender and is related to an image of Self that is not positive

Objects as Communicative Mediators in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

In recent years, the socio-material perspective has informed an important interdisciplinary debate concerning the role of the physical world (i.e., the objects) in human psychological development. Several studies in the field of developmental psychology showed positive achievements in explaining the relationship between the subject and the social context through a socio-material approach, in particular in the early development. The importance of objects was also recognized in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), showing that these children are characterized by alterations in the use of the objects from early development. Some studies highlighted that objects could be a facilitator in the interactions between children with ASD and peers. However, the role of objects was not sufficiently investigated in interactions between children with ASD and adults. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate in children with ASD the communicative function that the activities with objects assume in the interactions with adults, highlighting the mediator role of objects in these interactions. More generally, this study also aims to highlight the relevance of adopting a socio-material perspective to explore some neglected aspects of the psychological activity of children with ASD. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an extensive exploratory study, collecting data from a sample of 3-year-old (N = 18; F = 3) and 4-year-old (N = 26; F = 3) with ASD. Children were observed in a free-play situation with an adult. They were free to choose an object from a predefined set. Through quantitative data, we have described the general characteristics of the manipulation of objects; through qualitative data, we aimed to capture and describe, in microgenetic sequences, some characteristics of children\u2019s activities, defined as socio-material. The analysis of the socio-material activities suggested the role of objects as mediator of the interactions between children with ASD and adults

Editorial: Sociomateriality in Children With Typical and/or Atypical Development.

L'idea di sociomaterialità ha origine principalmente dalla vasta area di prospettive sullo sviluppo psicologico legate all'empirismo. In termini semplici, si potrebbe dire che la sociomaterialità sottolinea il contributo dell'esperienza individuale e collettiva ponendo maggiormente l'accento sul ruolo che la corporeità, i contesti fisici e gli oggetti giocano nello sviluppo o nell'emergere di funzioni psicologiche. Purtroppo, come ogni semplificazione, anche questa ha dei limiti oggettivi. Ciò che rende difficile stabilire un quadro unificato per definire la sociomaterialità, e soprattutto per determinare la sua relazione con lo sviluppo psicologico, è prima di tutto una questione epistemologica che è ancora oggetto di un ampio dibattito in diverse aree scientifiche, tra cui la filosofia (Searle, 2007) archeologia e culture materiali (Malafouris, 2013), ergonomia (Geslin, 2017), antropologia e sociologia (Latour, 2005), scienze cognitive (Clark, 2008), psicoterapia (Searles, 1960), psicologia dello sviluppo (Iannaccone et al. 2018; Moro e Rodríguez, 1998; Moro, 2016) e l'apprendimento stesso (Engeström, 2015; Iannaccone, 2017; Cattaruzza et al., 2019). Nella misura limitata di questa introduzione al variegato Topic ospitato da Frontiers in Psychology, possiamo identificare il cuore del problema epistemologico in due domande fondamentali: (a) quali sono i confini della mente rispetto alla corporeità e al contesto in cui opera? e (b) quale potrebbe essere il contributo reale che gli artefatti danno allo sviluppo delle funzioni psicologiche, in particolare l'apprendimento?The idea of sociomateriality mainly originates from the vast area of perspectives on psychological development related to empiricism. In simple terms, it could be said that sociomateriality stresses the contribution of individual and collective experience by putting more emphasis on the role that corporeity, physical contexts, and objects play in the development or emergence of psychological functions. Unfortunately, like any simplification, this one has objective limits. What makes it difficult to establish a unified framework to define sociomateriality, and above all to determine its relationship to psychological development, is, first of all, an epistemological question that is still the subject of a wide debate in several scientific areas, including philosophy (Searle, 2007) archaeology and material cultures (Malafouris, 2013), ergonomics (Geslin, 2017), anthropology and sociology (Latour, 2005), cognitive sciences (Clark, 2008), psychotherapy (Searles, 1960), developmental psychology (Iannaccone et al. 2018; Moro and Rodríguez, 1998; Moro, 2016) and learning itself (Engeström, 2015; Iannaccone, 2017; Cattaruzza et al., 2019). Within the limited extent of this introduction to the variegated Topic hosted by Frontiers in Psychology, we can identify the heart of the epistemological problem in two fundamental questions: (a) what are the boundaries of the mind with respect to corporeity and the context in which it operates? and (b) what could be the real contribution that artefacts give to the development of psychological functions, particularly learning

Tutoramento entre pares e integração universitária da deficiência

O estudo analisa a relação entre tutor e tutorado com deficiências no contexto universitário. A hipótese de pesquisa é que o método do tutoramento entre pares poderá facilitar a integração dos estudantes universitários com deficiências e que a compartilha dos problemas e as paritárias condições de partida do tutor e do tutorado ajude os mútuos processos de socialização. Vinte tutores preencheram um questionário elaborado ad hoc, e o corpus narrativo foi submetido a uma análise textual. Os resultados evidenciam o fato do peer tutoring ser uma metodologia idônea para o desenvolvimento de uma mútua relação de competências, no âmbito de uma relação afetiva e simétrica; isso permite ultrapassar a perspetiva assistencial relativa à deficiência, incita o tutorado a “ultrapassar a si próprio”, facilitando a sua aprendizagem e assim ativando a sua “zona de desenvolvimento proximal”

Digital Storytelling and Mathematical Thinking: An Educational Psychology Embrace

This article proposes Digital Storytelling as an education model that combines science, narrative thinking and art. This model has been implemented in Italian school settings over recent years. After a short introduction of the theoretical foundations of narrative thinking in the history of Educational Psychology, the paper focuses on Digital Storytelling as a co-constructive educational method that uses digital technologies for promoting an active, situated, meaningful and reflexive learning process. The proposed intervention in the Italian settings adds the artistic digital component (the use of avatar, comics and science fiction) to the Digital Storytelling systems. The set of implemented activities, as well as the individual and group actions taken, promote both the cognitive and emotional aspects of the learning process. The findings show that Digital Storytelling, spiced with artistic features, prompts the engagement of students in learning activities and offers a platform to enhance behavioural, emotional and cognitive commitment in mathematics education

Interazioni conversazionali, manipolazioni linguistiche e emergenza di abilità logiche in attività matematiche

In this paper, according to the Vygot-skian perspective and focusing on some aspects of mathematical logic, a reflection is presented based on some studies exploring the relation-ships between language and development of log-ical skills. We describe the design/implementa-tion of an educational device, consisting of linguistic-manipulative activities carried out in 4th grade school classes. The activities are based on the construction and manipulation of a sym-bolic language, socially shared, created to make a “child-robot” move in a room. The qualitative analysis of the social exchanges and of the con-tent of the explicitation interviews allowed to highlight how, through the comparison among different points of view, children carry out a dy-namic process of construction and negotiation of mathematical meanings. In particular, some main topics emerging from the interviews are presented, showing the ways in which children process activities, linked to inter-individual and intra-individual aspects

perceived social support and clinical symptomatology in italian university students

Social support can influence the perceptions of individual and social well-being for university students. We sought to verify whether the perceptions of social support correlate with the manifestation of clinical symptoms in young university students. A total of 26 participants, 58% female and 42% male, between the ages of 19 and 27 were included. The following tests were administered: SCL-90-R – scale for the self-evaluation of general psychopathology and MSPSS – self-assessment scale for the perception of social support. The students who perceived low levels of social support had high levels of clinical symptomatology (especially for internalised disorders). The index for a high intensity of symptoms Positive Symptom Total is correlated with a low level of perceived social support. Keywords: Clinical symptomatology, perceived social support, university students

Formare Menti

Lo scopo di questo volume, attraverso una ricerca condotta presso l'Università degli Studi di Salerno, è quello di individuare e comprendere i Modelli Culturali che sono alla base dell'attività professionale. Tali Modelli Culturali rappresentano, in linea con un ampia letteratura, l'insieme delle credenze, dei valori e dei significati che i docenti attribuiscono al proprio ruolo e al contesto universitario. Seppur a carattere locale, in questo particolare momento storico, questo volume nasce con l'intento di "dare voce" (purtroppo raramente ascoltata) ai docenti universitari, alla loro visione di università e al senso che per loro ha l'essere professore

Il potere intrinseco dell’argomentazione nei processi di apprendimento.

Abstract. Il presente lavoro nasce da una riflessione critica e di ricerca che pone l’accento sul ruolo dell’argomentazione nei processi di apprendimento, attraverso l’analisi delle competenze argomentative in un gruppo di studenti dell’Anno di Preparazione del Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Università di Salerno. In generale, quando parliamo di argomentazione (in ambito scientifico e non) ci riferiamo ad una modalità discorsiva che ha la finalità di dimostrare e giustificare un certo di tipo di ragionamento (Rigotti, Greco, 2010). Quando l’argomentazione non è utilizzata in un ambito in cui è necessario dimostrare logicamente qualcosa, si configura come una sorta di impegno critico a dare giustificazione della posizione presa (o meglio del ragionamento messo in atto) (Van Eemeren, Grootendorst, 1984; Piro, 2015). In generale, si presume che studenti universitari non solo posseggano competenze argomentative, ma siano anche in grado di utilizzarle nei diversi ambiti. Questo non sempre corrisponde al vero. Lo studio delle modalità (o forme) argomentative qui presentato, ha come obiettivo da una parte, la comprensione dei ragionamenti che gli studenti pongono in atto nel momento cui elaborano nuove informazioni collegandole a quelle già possedute (in modo da ampliarle), e dall’altra l’utilizzo dell’argomentazione come strumento di scaffolding nell’elaborare tali conoscenze. A tal fine saranno presentati alcuni risultati di un’attività didattica incentrata sull’argomentazione svolta durante il corso di “Comprensione Verbale”